Oxford Scene 2

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Oxford Scene 2

Stephen explores the ancient city of Oxford and meets some girls who are studying at the University.

Do the Preparation task first. Then watch the video. Next go to Task and do the activity. If you need help, you can read the Transcript at any time.

Preparation

Before you watch

While Ashlie was doing her exam, Stephen decided to have a look around Oxford.

Where do you think he goes to find out more about Oxford?

He meets some students sitting by the river.

What do you think they talk about?

He decides to do something special for Ashlie.

What do you think he is going to do?

Now, watch the video and find out if you were right.

Transcript

Transcript

Stephen: While Ashlie’s in her exam, I’m going to have a look around Oxford. You probably know it’s famous for its university, but let’s find out a little bit more.

.....

Stephen: Hello.

Tourist lady: Hello.

Stephen: Er, I’m visiting Oxford for the day, what’s the best thing to do?

Tourist lady: Well it’s a lovely day. I suggest you walk around the colleges, take a bus tour, explore the Bodleian Library or take a punt on the river with a picnic.

Stephen: How many colleges are there?

Tourist lady: There’s around 39.

Stephen: What’s the best way to see Oxford?

Tourist lady: The best way to see Oxford is probably on foot with one of our green and blue badge guides.

Stephen: Great. Thank you so much.

Tourist lady: You’re welcome.

Stephen: Bye.

Tourist lady: Bye.

.....

Stephen: Hiya girls. You alright?

Students: Good, thank you.

Stephen: Are you students here?

Students: Yes

Stephen: What are you studying?

Student 1: History.

Student 2: Yeah History, too.

Stephen: What’s it like being a student here?

Students: It's great.

Student 2: Really good.

Student 1: It’s, like, the best university known worldwide so it’s a great place to be.

Stephen: So tell me what it’s like studying here in Oxford.

Student 1: We have lectures and seminars and then it’s your own time to go to the library and read your books and do your research for the next lecture so if you don’t do that reading, then you’re not prepared for the next lecture – so it’s really up to you to do your own work.

Yes, that's more or less what it means. The closest way to paraphrase it would be 'many things' and it is an informal way to say this, quite common in colloquial conversations between friends, for example.

Hello , I really like this series so much. It's so interesting and useful. I learnt loads of expression and i know more about Britain by this amazing series.
I have may be a silly Question but I have to understand .
In the sentence ( let's find out a little bit more ) in the transcript. what is the meaning of " little and bit " Can we say let's find out more ? instead of let's find out a little bit more .? what is the additional meaning of ( little -bit ) in the sentence?
another one is that why in the transcript Stephen asked ( how many colleges are there? the answer is ( There is ..... not There are .....)
Thanks a lot for assistance and help for all my questions in all the podcasts and series.

Hi littlemoon86,
We're glad to hear you enjoy Word on the Street!a little, a bit, and a little bit all essentially mean the same thing. It would be fine to say "let's find out more". The difference between "let's find out more" and "let's find out a little bit more" is simply that in the second sentence, Stephen isn't talking about finding out a lot more, just a little bit more. You might want to look at our page on quantifiers for more information on this topic.
As for "There's around 39", good catch! Sometimes in informal speech, people say there is, even with plural nouns. I wouldn't recommend that you copy this, but it is something you can hear people say sometimes.
Best wishes,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team